Auxiliary coupling.



S. H. BOLTZ.

AUXILIARY COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 7, 1911.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETSr-SHEET 1.

IN VENTOR WITNESSES a 4 BY- ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO" \VASHINQTDN, D. C.

s. H. BOLTZ/ AUXILIARY COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED 001. 7 1911.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN VE N TOR A TTORNE Y SOLOMON H: BOLTZ, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUXILIARY COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

Application filed October 7, 1911. Serial No. 653,295.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SOLOMON H. BoLTz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in auxiliary car couplings of the impact type such as used on freight cars, passenger cars and locomotives.

It is common knowledge that many railroad tracks entering factory yards, buildings and similar places are constructed with curves of unusually short radius, and that as a result freight cars provided with only ordinary couplings cannot be moved over these curves without damage to the cars. The necessity for auxiliary couplings to overcome this difficulty has been fully set forth in previous patents and need not be further mentioned.

The principal object, therefore, of my invention is not only to provide a new and improved auxiliary car coupling that will permit of cars being moved on curves of short radius without the possibility of damage above mentioned, butalso to provide one in which, when one of its coupling heads is engaged with a coupling head of the car or locomotive, it is possible to adjust automatically the unengaged coupling head at the other end of the said auxiliary coupling by one operation consisting of moving the auxiliary coupling as a whole, or the main portion of it, in alinement with the direction of the track.

A further object of my invention, which naturally follows from the objectjust stated, is to dispense with the presence of a brakeman on the track between the cars which are being coupled. My further object is to provide an auxiliary coupling that is at once comparatively light in weight, easy to operate and cheap in construction.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a form thereof, since this form best represents the purposes of my said invention, and has been found in practice to give the most satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization as herein set forth, it being my intention, for example, to employ in the manufacture of my coupling device movable knuckles as substituted parts for the fixed and rigid knuckles as shown in the drawingsin case my invention should be used on railroads which do not provide their cars with coupling members furnished with movable knuckles. Figure 1 represents a plan view of my invention shown in engagement with the coupling members of two cars on a straight track; Fig. 2 a plan view of my invention shown in engagement with the coupling members of two cars on a curved track, this view indicating one of the several possible positions of my auxiliary coupling; Fig. 3 a side elevation of my invention, the coupling heads of the cars being omitted; and Fig. 4: an underneath plan view of my invention, the coupling heads of the cars being likewise omitted.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts of the figures.

Referring to the drawings: The members 1 and 16 represent the coupling members of two cars, these members being constructed so as to make an automatic coupling if the cars should be moved together. These members are provided with guard-arms 2 and 17 and movable knuckles 7 and 15. The supporting head 3 of my auxiliary coupling is made with a jaw 5 designed to fill the entire space between the movable knuckle 7 and the guard-arm 2, while the cap 6 is adapted to rest upon the movable knuckle 7 and thus hold the supporting head or coupling head 3 firmly engaged with the coupling member 1. The rearward extension of the coupling head 3 of my auxiliary coupling consists of a disk-shaped louder and supporting plate 4, provided with a' supporting flange 9 and a bumper flange 24. The coupling head 14 at the other end of my auxiliary coupling is constructed with a rigid knuckle 19 and a disk-shaped supporting and bumper flange 13. It will be observed that this supporting and bumper flange, or plate, is much smaller than the one previously described since the Weight to be borne thereby is less.

The two coupling heads of my device are connected by the diagonal bars 10, 11 and 12, two of the said bars being preferably placed above the disk-shaped plates previously mentioned and one below. The uppermost bar 10 has a web or rib 22 and the lowest bar 12 likewise has a web or rib 23 designed for the purpose of increasing the strength of the said bars and at the same time reducing their weight. It might also be added here that the flange 24: was planned chiefly to reduce the weight of the bumper and supporting plate 4, the construction of a comparatively light auxiliary coupling being part of the essence of my invention. The diagonal bars 1O, 11 and 12 are attached at their extremities to the coupling heads by means of pivot bolts such as 21 and 20, which are secured respectively by nuts 26 and 28, and lock pins 27 and 29. The bumper lugs 25 and 26 by contact respectively with the flanges 24 and 13 relieve the pivot bolts of the diagonal bars from unnecessary strain. In this connection it might be said that the auxiliary coupling is so planned that the ends of the diagonal bars bear directly against the rigid portions of the coupling heads. Thus it will be seen that when cars are coupled by my device the strain of the impact is taken up by the lugs bearing against the flanges just mentioned and the ends of the diagonal bars bearing against the coupling heads. Hence the pivot bolts of the bars bear practically no strain. The stops 8 and 18 on the upper surface respectively of the two disk plates are designed to prevent undue lateral movement of the unengaged coupling head by means of contact of the bar 11 with one or the other of the stops, as the case may be, depending upon the direction of the movement.

It may be here noted that the coupling head 3 is supported by the coupling member 1 and that the coupling head 14 being connected by the bar 12 is restrained to move laterally about the axis of the pivot 30 in concentric relation with said head 3, and that by its connection with the bars 11 and 12 is rotated upon its local axis about the pivot 31 in a predetermined sequence with its relative lateral movement.

The method of operation of my auxiliary coupling is this: The brakeman places the supporting head 3 in engagement with the coupling head 1 of a car and then adjusts the auxiliary coupling in alinement with the curve of the track by swinging the unengaged coupling head 14 to the right or left, as the case may be. The movable knuckle 15 of the other car is pulled out, the hrakeman steps from the track and the two cars are moved together and by impact automatically coupled, the knuckle 15 swinging into the fixed position indicated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 which represent the coupling members after their engagement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An auxiliary coupling comprising spaced coupling heads, respectively having stops and bumper members, a plurality of connecting bars, each being pivoted at one extremity to one of said coupling heads, and at the other extremity to the other of said coupling heads, and respectively having means to engage said stops to limit the relative lateral movement of said heads, and to protect the pivots from shock and jar.

2. An auxiliary coupling comprising spaced coupling heads connected by a plurality of crossed bars, each of said bars being pivoted at one extremity to one of said coupling heads, and at the other extremity to the other of said coupling heads, and maintaining the longitudinal axis of said heads in planes tangent to the common arc, whose center is equidistant from the respective axes of relative movement of said heads.

3. An auxiliary coupling comprising a coupling head having means whereby it may be rigidly supported, a coupling head spaced therefrom, and means movably connecting said heads and automatically eflecting the rotation of said spaced head on an axis moved by said connecting means.

4. An auxiliary coupling comprising spaced coupling heads, each having a diagonally disposed shoulder, and diagonally disposed bars crossed intermediate of said heads and affording the free lateral move 5 ment of one head with respect to the other head, and eflecting its rotation in predetermined sequence with its lateral movement, one of said bars being operative to engage the respective shoulders to limit the respectively opposite movements of the movable head.

5. An auxiliary car coupling comprising spaced coupling heads, and means movably connecting said heads and restraining their relative movement in a lateral direction, and maintaining their longitudinal axes in planes substantially tangent to the same are whose center is equidistant from the axes of relative movement of said heads.

6. An auxiliary coupling comprising spaced coupling heads, each provided with an extension consisting of a flange, and means operatively connecting said extensions, and movably maintaining them in spaced relation, with their longitudinal axes intersecting at a point equidistant from said heads when out of alinement.

7. An auxiliary car coupling comprising two coupling heads, each provided with a horizontal extension, one of which is provided with a supporting flange and abumper flange, the other of which is provided with but one flange which acts both as a supporting and bumper device and means .operbumper flange, the other of which is pro vided with but one flange which acts both as a supporting and bumper device, and a means for connecting said extensions, substantially as described.

9. An auxiliary car coupling comprising two coupling heads, each provided with a horizontal extension, one of which is provided with a supporting flange and a bumper flange, the other of which is provided with but one flange which acts both as a bumper and supporting device, said extensions being connected by three bars, two above and one below said extensions, and having projections engaging said bumper flanges.

10. An auxiliary car coupling comprising two coupling heads, each provlded with an extension, one of which is provided with a supporting flange and a bumper flange, the other of which is provided with but one flange which acts both as a bumper and supporting device, said extensions being connected by three movable bars, two above and one below said extensions and having projections abutting against said flanges, said bars being pivotally attached to said extensions.

11. An auxiliary car coupling comprising two coupling heads, each provided with a horizontal extension providing a supporting flange and means connecting the said -extensions and provided with bumper projections abutting against said extensions.

12. 'An auxiliary car coupling comprising two spaced coupling heads, each provided with a horizontal extension having a stop, adjustable bars pivotally connecting said extensions, one of which being operative to engage said stops to limit the lateral movement of said heads, and another having bumper projections abutting against the edges of said extensions.

13. An auxiliary coupling comprising spaced coupling heads, having means engageable to limit their relative lateral movement, adjustable pivoted diagonal bars connecting said heads, operative to engage said means, and having bumper means engageable with a portion of said head, and preventing longitudinal thrust on their pivots.

14. An auxiliary car coupling comprising spaced coupling heads having extensions integral therewith, and means movably connecting said extensions, and having bumper shoulders engaging said extensions in slidable engagement therewith.

15. An auxiliary car coupling comprising relatively movable coupling heads, having supported extensions provided with stops integral therewith, and means pivotally connecting said extensions, and having means engageable with said stops to limit the relative movement of said heads.

16. An auxiliary car coupling comprising spaced relatively movable coupling heads, having supporting extensions respectively provided with stops integral therewith, means pivotally connecting said extensions, and engageable with said stops to limit the relative movement of said heads, and having bumper means engageable with the edge of said extensions to prevent undue shearing strain on the pivotal connection.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SOLOMON H. BOLTZ.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE H. REED, EDWARD KRAMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

